On Sleepless Nights

This is a classic collection from Ali Duaji, who ran with the Taht Essour group on Bab Souika. The best of the stories are “Uncle Bakhir,” “A Criminal in Spite of Himself,” “The Lighted Corner,” and my absolute favorite, “A Pleasant Outing.” If nothing else, Duaji is funny, poking fun at the self-pitying and self-righteous types in society, and he seems to understand desire and how it works. It’s well worth reading — the translation was produced decades ago, but it’s still the best sample of Duaji in English, and I wish there were more of him available, along with comparable books by the others who were active in Taht Essour.